Re: Godel Goofed? Nope.

[Roy and/or Janet Miller <millers@inetnebr.com>]

Kelli Halliburton wrote:

> > I'm wouldn't be surprised to hear you say that you hope so. However, under
> > the rigorous anti Christian persecutions by the atheistic rulers of the
> > Soviet Union for 75 years, Christianity has become stronger than ever.
> > Ditto in mainland China, and other communist countries. It still exists,
> in
> > Iraq and Iran where centuries of total societal rejection hasn't stamped
> it
> > out. The Turks practiced genocide on the Christian Armenian people, and
> yet
> > both the people and the faith survives. And Christians don't have the
> ethic
> > unity that has helped the Jews to remain a people. So, time will tell, but
> > I am confident that the faith, which is still spreading and growing
> > (outside Europe) will survive. I personally think that you suffer from a
> > provincial attitude in this area.
>
> That religion which is persecuted grows. When it achieves mainstream status,
> it begins to die. Thus, Christianity is growing in the east and middle east,
> but is losing its strength in the west. Note that I am not saying that it is
> not strong; merely that it is less strong than before. The Holy Roman Empire
> was both the pinnacle of Catholicism and the beginning of its decline.
>
> A religion can prolong its decline, and slow it down to some extent, by
> manufacturing enemies to fight against. This creates an implied threat by
> the new so-called 'enemies,' and therefore a sort of artificial persecution.
> "They threaten our way of life, and our faith," is the oft-heard call to
> arms.

:-) Even paranoids have enemies. The interesting thing about Christianity, is
that how it achieved it's position in Europe is also how the Puritans achieved
it's position in England in the 15 and 1600s. Meeting people's needs.
Ministering mercy in the name of the Lord. The denomination that I belong to is
tiny, VERY tiny, but as heirs of the Puritans, we haven't forgotten. I've had
over $50,000 pass through my office in the last few months to met the needs of a
14 yr old boy who has severely injured in a tractor accident. Our whole
denomination totals less than 25,000 people, and there have been a number of
similar needs elsewhere in the denomination in the last two years. I pride
myself on control of my emotions, but I don't mind admitting that seeing the
cards, letters and expressions of compassion from this little denomination has
"unmanned" me more than once. It's a joy to see the truth in action, rather than
in a debate.

Roy